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November event expected to attract 500 high profile delegates
| THE INDEPENDENT | Rwanda’s national flag carrier, RwandAir, has finalised preparations to host the 49th Annual General Assembly (AGA) and Summit of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) this November.
The three-day event from Nov.12 to 14 will be held in the prestigious Kigali Convention Centre in the capital Kigali.
Up to 500 high profile delegates from the aviation industry in Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia and North America are expected to attend.
The AFRAA AGA will be attended by Chairmen and CEOs from African airlines, ICAO, IATA, AFCAC, civil aviation authorities, airport companies, air navigation services providers as well as aircraft and engine manufacturers, component suppliers, and many other service providers.
The AFRAA Secretary General, Elijah Chingosho, told journalists in Kigali on Sept.18 that the AGA will discuss issues on the development of air transport in Africa in general and development opportunities for African airlines in particular.
“The AFRAA AGA is the premier gathering of senior global aviation executives in Africa. Annually, the AGA brings together global aviation leaders and stakeholders to take stock of aviation milestones and plan the future for the development of African aviation,” he said.
The Secretary General was in Kigali on an advance visit to the event.
He met various stakeholders in Rwanda who looked forward to a successful event in November.
“AFRAA and RwandAir teams are dedicated to ensure that delegates will experience yet another memorable AGA this year,” he said.
The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) is a trade association of airlines from the member states of the African Union (AU) with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Its primary purpose is to foster commercial and technical co-operation among African airlines and to represent their common interests.
Its membership of 37 airlines cuts across the continent and includes all the major intercontinental African operators. The Association members represent over 85% of total international traffic carried by African airlines.
Chance Ndagano, the president of AFRAA who is also the acting CEO of RwandAir, told the journalists that hosting such an event was a great opportunity and he thanked AFRAA for it. He said the event presented an excellent opportunity to strengthen aviation in the country and further promotes the tourism sector.
“RwandAir looks forward to welcome airline top executives and other aviation stakeholders to Remarkable Rwanda – the land of a thousand hills,” he said.
In addition to the provision of an excellent platform for brand visibility through sponsorship, the General Assembly and Summit of AFRAA will present exhibition opportunities for aviation companies to showcase their services, equipment, components, supplies and IT solutions.
Some of the confirmed sponsors include: Accelya & Mercator, Airbus, Amadeus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority, Nexus, RwandAir and SITA.
RwandAir has one of the youngest fleet on the African continent. But from its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, it has built a reputation for its excellent on-time performance, customer service and safety, and.
With a fleet of 12 aircraft; including two wide-body Airbus A330 acquired last year, the airline currently reaches out to twenty-three destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
This year, RwandAir started flights to Mumbai, Harare, London (Gatwick) and Brussels. RwandAir introduced flights to Abidjan, Libreville and Brazzaville from its new hub in Cotonou and will start operations to Bamako, Conakry and Dakar from the same hub by the beginning of October this year. Later this year, the airline’s ever growing network will spread to Guangzhou and in 2018, RwandAir plans to enter the American market with flights to New York, in the USA.
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